Mobile networking technologies are driving an evolution in the use and structure of networks. For example, users of mobile networking technologies expect to stay connected as they move from place to place and from network to network. Furthermore, users of mobile networking technologies expect easy and seamless network interface transitions as they move from place to place.
The term network component broadly refers to a node (e.g., a desktop, laptop, etc.) or a collection of nodes (e.g., a virtual private network, a subnet, a virtual local area network, etc.). The term node refers to a network component having a network interface. Examples of a node include switches, routers, servers, clients, workstations, laptops, handhelds, printers, hubs, and the like.
The movement of network components from place to place and network to network fosters constantly changing network infrastructures and topologies. Network components are typically configured to interact with particular network infrastructures and topologies. The term configuration can be used with respect to a network component or to an entire network. When used in association with a network component, configuration refers to the settings of software, hardware, and firmware that enable the network component to exchange information with a network. In a broader sense, configuring a network refers to configuring a plurality of network components to exchange information with one another.
Modern networking technologies increase the variety of network components that interact with a network and, also, the frequency at which these interactions occur. These interactions produce a combinational explosion of heterogeneous networks composed of many different network components each having a distinct configuration. This combinational explosion of heterogeneous networks is further complicated by the possibility that an initial network configuration changes over time as network components are added and removed from the network.